Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling in the January transfer window.
The Catalan club have appointed Xavi Hernandez as a successor to Ronald Koeman after a poor run of results. Xavi, whose side are on the rise in the La Liga table, is already targeting players ahead of the January transfer window. However, they will have to look to sign players on loan first, due to their crunch financial situation.
According to ESPN, Barcelona are eyeing a loan deal for Raheem Sterling, who is struggling for both form and playing time at Manchester City. They were interested in signing the England international in the summer and have considered reviving it in January.
However, Manchester City’s reluctance to let leave their player without an obligation to buy at the end of the season has seen Chelsea duo Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner emerge as alternatives, the report adds.
Despite being one of England’s best players during Euro 2020, Raheem Sterling, 26, has been frustrated by a lack of first-team action at Manchester City this season. He has been limited to just four Premier League starts, with the latest coming in Sunday’s 3-0 win over Everton, in which he netted the opening goal.
The English ace, who has 18 months left on his contract, is now firmly on the radar of Barcelona, as Xavi looks to steady the ship.
Raheem Sterling to Barcelona—Would the Manchester City star be a good fit under Xavi?
Barcelona have struggled for creativity and goals since the beginning of the 2021-22 season. A combination of injuries and poor form of the attacking players means the Blaugrana have managed only 23 goals in 14 games. They have just two wins in the last five games, leaving Xavi’s side ten points behind league leaders Real Madrid at the moment.
With reports of Sergio Aguero considering retirement due to heart problems emerging of late, Martin Braithwaite and Ansu Fati out injured and Luuk de Jong scoring just once in six La Liga games after arriving on loan from Sevilla on deadline day, Xavi must prioritise signing a prolific forward in the winter transfer window.
To that end, Raheem Sterling would be ideal for the Catalan club. Known for his blistering pace, smart link-up play and unpredictable movement, Sterling is one of Premier League’s trickiest forwards.
His 117 goals and 88 assists in 308 appearances for Manchester City alone demonstrate his top pedigree. He is a versatile player who can operate anywhere across the front-line, which will potentially give Xavi’s side the flexibility they need to hurt teams sitting deep.
The ex-Liverpool man is creative on the ball, has really good vision and is dangerous in counter-attacking situations. He’s been a serial winner since arriving at Man City and the winning mentality could lift the spirits at Barcelona if the winger joins.
Xavi needs a top-quality attacker who can create chances and score goals aplenty. Sterling is certainly capable of such things, making his signature an absolute must for Barcelona.